Violating School Bus Traffic Laws is not Uncommon for North Carolina

Following the tragic death of a young girl at a bus stop in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC) a reporter from the News Observer decided to do a little investigating in to just how common it is for North Carolina (NC) drivers to ignore school bus traffic laws.

The results may come as a shock. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction over 2,000 violations occur every day in the state. These violations include failure to stop the required yards behind a school bus, and failure to stop when the school bus has started its stop-arm and emergency flashers. Bus drivers are doing all they can to prevent children entering and exiting the bus from getting hurt, or even killed, but close calls happen more often then they would like.

The News Observer spoke to one bus driver, Kendra Tyler, who recounted a near-miss accident last year when a truck driver maneuvered around a line of parked cars to pass the stopped school bus. The truck narrowly missed several children trying to leave the bus. Tyler went on to tell the reporter that she tries to write down license plate numbers of drivers who ignore school bus stop warnings, but her responsibilities to the children on the bus keeps her from getting every driver. With 2,000 violations occurring every day in North Carolina this comes as no surprise to us.

Currently, police departments across North Carolina issue traffic citations to every driver they see violating a school bus stop law and in December these violations will crack down even harder on drivers, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping violators. Kendra Tyler feels that drivers have a places-to-be attitude when it comes to bus stops and that causes a lot of drivers to try and maneuver around the delay.

After the recent tragic death of Ashley E. Ramos-Hernandez in Raleigh, we should all learn to be a little more patient. Stopping a safe distance behind a school bus stop and waiting for the traffic warnings to go off before proceeding could save the life of a child. If you see someone violating the law, you should report their license plate number to local police. Getting to where you need to go faster is not worth the life of a child.

The Legal Examiner offers both bloggers and readers the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions on all things law. From news on current legislative efforts to practical guidance on everyday legal issues, The Legal Examiner will have it covered. Learn More